A Few Surprises in the Latest AutoCAD Update

AutoCAD Update 2018.1

A recent AutoCAD Update for 2018 not only contained bug fixes but surprisingly (at least for me) contained product enhancements! [Yes, I’m a bit late in writing about this, as Autodesk just released 2018.1.1 yesterday, but still, there’s some cool stuff here!]

New Feature and Feature Enhancements

This AutoCAD Update contains new features and feature enhancements, including:

Xref Layer Property Enhancements

Views and Viewport Updates

High Resolution (4k) Monitor Support Changes

3D Graphics Performance Improvements

If you are running on Windows 10 with a compatible video card you should see over 200 dialog boxes and other “user interface elements” work better with high-resolution 4K displays.

You should notice increased performance when working in 3D, especially when working in the Wireframe, Realistic, and Shaded visual styles. Autodesk is claiming an on-average 37% performance improvement with 2018.1 over AutoCAD 2018.

When selecting Viewports,two new grips appear. One for moving the viewport. The other for setting the display scale. I particularly love this one… much less mouse travel!

Finally, the Layer Settings dialog includes new controls for managing Xref layer properties.

Fixed Problems

The 2018.1.1 update contains the following fixes:

Occasional crashes when opening the block editor no longer occur.

Occasional crashes when selecting or creating a non-associative hatch no longer occur.

Occasional crashes when clicking the Insert View button on the ribbon in some drawings no longer occur.

“After applying this patch, the Product Version in the About box will be listed as O.154.0.0 AutoCAD 2018.1.1 Update. If you use one of the vertical products, the Built On version will be listed as O.154.0.0 AutoCAD 2018.1.1 Update.”

The 2018.1.1 Update includes all of the previously released updates.

You should find the update in your Autodesk Desktop App. If not, then take a look at your Autodesk Account, within the Management section.

About The Author

Hello! My name is Mike Thomas and I have a lot of experience with Autodesk products, primarily in the Manufacturing realm. I spent the first decade of my career working for an Autodesk reseller as an Application Specialist. During my travels, I've delivered more hours of training, support, demos, and implementations that can remember. But I got to see a lot of great places, meet very interesting people, and help solve many problems with Autodesk software.
I’ve been using AutoCAD since r13 (c4 to be specific… I know, I know missed all the “fun” of r13), cut my solid modeling teeth on Mechanical Desktop, and have been using Inventor since before it was known as Inventor (anyone remember Rubicon?). Data Management has always been a big part of my professional life, for the most part with Autodesk Vault and all of its flavours.
Now I am the Technical Services Manager at Prairie Machine & Parts Mfg (www.pmparts.com) a mining equipment manufacturer. After spending many hours there implementing their Vault they decided to give me a permanent office! Reporting to the General Manager, I’m responsible for overseeing the companies technical operations and technical growth. We’re always looking to get stronger, faster, and more efficient.
Outside of work I am blessed with four beautiful daughters. I cheer hard for my Pittsburgh Penguins, love coaching my kids in ball. Lately a hobby of trying beers from around the world has developed and I’m always on the lookout for new ones to try.